Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory: A Study among Japanese Pregnant Women

摘要

Background: Maternal emotional tie towards a foetus is a predictor of later maternal and child’s mental health. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 539 first trimester women. It included the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The factor structure models derived from exploratory factor analyses were compared by confirmatory factor analyses. Results: A three-factor bifactor model of the PAI was bet fit to the data. The omega coefficients and explained common variance suggested that the influences of three group factors were not negligible. The scores of the three subscales (derived from the three factors) were differently associated with age, gestation week, and adult attachment styles (derived from RQ). They were, however, not correlated with the EPDS scores. Conclusion: The PAI has a model of three groups and one general factor with an excellent fit to the data. The three subscales have construct validity too.